Author's Notes: Been awhile since I've last uploaded anything. Real life claims many lives - sad, ironic, but true. Between my new full-time factory job, planning out my original novel as well as a manga AND a novelization of the Megaman Zero series, AAAAAND teaching myself more Japanese while still somehow finding a few hours in the day for sleep, it's getting difficult to touch up on projects of mine that I'd prefer to finish. Like Ni Shourai. Poor Ni Shourai. Fear not, though. The contests over at in the NaruHina Fanclub (which I host - albeit poorly ^^;) force me to do a submission every now and then. \o/

This was an entry for the "Love and Laughter" portion of the contest. I wish I had more free time to touch up on it and add more, but it's presentable in its current state. I had a lot of good critique so far, and I find it's still partially incomplete, but I have to turn in what I have. I'll probably update it using all the critique I've received from various members of the fanclub. So anyway, NOT going to spoil the story for you, because there's a lot of things even I found somewhat amusing - and I HATE my own work, dammit. So please, enjoy this deceptively (funny?) oneshot written by yours truly!

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Hinata, or Kurama, I'd be awesome. But I'm not awesome. You do the math.

"It's that damn fox."

"The Kyuubi, run!"

"It's a monster, get away from it!"

Tormented echoes of fear and panic resonated in his head, his breath frenzied. He became both livid and scared at the same time, the clash of emotions eroding against each other, spiraling his indecision into a panic of his own. Voices sung of fear and loathing, of malicious intent, and of damnation - they grew louder and louder with every passing word.

"Nothing more than a tool."

"He has no feelings to consider."

"The world would be better off without him."

With every nightmarish scream that rang in his ears, he felt a quickening within. Dare he show them just how much of a monster he could be? Would he prove them right, but exact his own brand of unholy retribution upon their paranoid, senseless tongues?

"Get used to your new home. You won't be going anywhere for a long time."

"I'm in control here, you'll do as I say or regret it."

"Shut up and give me the power, you stupid fox."

Even them? Even they detested him so? They didn't even know his name, let alone who he was or what he was.

"Kurama..."

It had never bothered him before now. Each time he closed his eyes since that day, these same echoes, they rang like the bells in a valley, louder and louder until finally he could ignore them no more. Before this, he would curse them. He would think of all the horrible things he could do to them.

"Kurama, hey!"

He was the nine tailed beast. He didn't have to sit there, taking their cruel words. He could just rip them asunder. He could-

"Kurama, wake up!"

A massive smack across the top of the bijuu's head sent a shock of pain through his entire being, his eyes jolting open to the sight of Naruto sitting upon his snout, staring him square in the eye. "Ugh, argh! I was sleeping!" he growled. "What the hell did you do that for?!"

A bead of sweat dropped down Naruto's forehead as he struggled to maintain his glare, the fox's eyes staring him down. Smooth at first, but the next moment, the young jinchuuriki's face puffed and he began to rasp, fighting to hold back laughter.

"What's so funny about this, huh?"

"Your...haha...your head! Ahaha, oh man Kurama, I didn't mean to hit you THAT hard! I guess you really ARE getting soft!"

Kurama stopped and looked forward, reaching up to his head where sure enough, he felt a massive bump rising like bread in the oven. Teeth bared, he shook the boy off of his face, sending him flying with a yelp. "You insolent little-"

"Hey!" said Naruto, bolting up from the knee high water in the pools of his mind. "You were the one who was talking in his sleep! I was worried about cha, you sounded like you were having a nightmare!"

Kurama scoffed and turned away from the boy, still rubbing his head, wincing with every stroke. "What are you even talking about? I don't get nightmares...I GIVE nightmares."

Naruto folded his arms, hanging his head to the side in thought. "Mmm...oh! Maybe you were giving someone nightmares!"

The massive fox covered his face with his free hand. "You're...surpassing your previous feats of stupidity as we speak. I don't even believe we're having this conversation right now. I'm just going to curl up on the ground and pretend this didn't happ-"

"Hey, Kurama!"

A vein pulsed in the chakra beasts' forehead. "WHAT?!"

Naruto's eyes widened for a moment. Maybe checking up on him wasn't such a good idea after all, and he should have just left the fox be. Then again, when a fifty ton multi-tailed beast throws a sleeping fit in your head, it would draw a red flag of concern even if you didn't consider him a friend.

Still, he didn't have the heart to tell the big guy that he'd been whimpering and running on his side like a scared dog. Knowing how prideful Kurama was, it would just make him angrier. Standing up and turning away, Naruto apologized in a shakey voice. "S-sorry for wakin' ya then, but I have to ask...something is bugging you, isn't it?"

Kurama closed his eyes, turning away from the boy. Only a few short months ago, he'd have made a threat or two by this point, probably having to do with dicing the boy into so much meat he could stuff him into a month supply of bento boxes. No, he wouldn't have made an attempt to be 'clever' back then either. "The only thing that is wrong right now is my lack of sleep. For once, I'd like to go a full twelve hours without having to be woken up by you and your constant begging for attention. Don't you have a mate for that anyway?"

"Mate? Oh!" Naruto chuckled. "You mean Hinata. She's not a mate, she's my girlfriend."

"That's...the same thing." He was heavily reconsidering the bento box threat. "It's the same exact thing. Whatever, just go bother her if you're dying for attention at the moment. I don't have time to entertain. I have very important..." He paused as he curled into a large ball, taking up a large portion of the watery room. "...I just want to sleep. Get lost."

Naruto took one look at the Kyuubi's face before it was covered by several of his tails. He could tell, just by looking at his expression alone, that the beast was lying. Even though Kurama was easily the grumpiest friend he'd ever made, he hadn't been quite this rejected by his bijuu since the days when they were on hostile terms. Minus the attempts at soul-snatching, of course.

Throwing his hands behind his head, Naruto walked away to the corner of his mind as quietly as he could, allowing the gargantuan fox his shuteye, thinking all along the way.

Outside the recesses of his mind, the teen sighed deeply, staring up at the ceiling of his room. One bad thing about the rooms at the Hyūga estate was how simple they were, which honestly wouldn't be a bad thing if it wasn't for the fact that lately he'd had nothing to do in the evenings but think. This in turn often led to his attempts at conversing with his bijuu, whom in spite of befriending a few months ago, he still felt was too distant.

Maybe they just weren't meant to be pals. Sure, he could count on Kurama in a pinch now, but if the fox was going to be living inside Naruto's head, he wished they could be on better speaking terms. "What am I gonna do about you, huh?" He muttered quietly, turning his eyes from the ceiling to the doorway.

There came a knock, soft as could be but barely audible. He knew just from the sound of that knocking who was waiting for him out in the hallway, but waited for her to speak up anyway, just to hear the sound of her voice to pull him back into reality.

"Naruto-kun, we have dinner prepared already. Father won't be returning tonight, so it's just us and Hanabi."

No Hiashi giving him the evil eye from across the table? It sounded like his kind of evening. "Kay Hinata, I'll be right out!" Hopping up from his mat on the floor, the orange-clad teen raced to the shutter door and flung it open, not expecting Hinata to still be there and running face first into the startled girl. The two of them staggered into opposing walls, rubbing their foreheads, till Naruto jolted upright and leaned in close to Hinata in a panic. "Sh-shoot! I'm sorry, I totally spaced out!"

Hinata got up herself, and pulled Naruto to his feet, trying to smile and ignore the lump forming at the top of her forehead. "I-it's okay, Naruto-kun, but please try to be more careful. Um...if I may ask though, what had you thinking so hard that you spaced out? You don't generally do that unless it's really important, is all."

Narutos' expression suddenly fell, his hand finding itself scratching the back of his neck nervously. "It's...jinchuriki stuff."

"Jinchuuriki stuff? Oh! Kurama is okay, isn't he? Or are you two arguing again?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, no, we're fine, just...he's seemed a little down lately. Like something has been bugging him." He grabbed Hinata's hand gently, and began walking towards the dining room with her in tow. "I just dunno what to do. The guy won't speak to me, says he's too busy sleeping. Really, it's worrying me, because he's throwing fits in his sleep, kinda like-"

"Like a dog?"

"Yeah, how'd you-"

"Akamaru used to do that on some of our longer missions. Kiba too."

Naruto was mildly amused at the thought. "Well...I just don't know what to do. If he doesn't talk to me, I can't figure out how to help him."

"Maybe the answer isn't to make him speak about his problems. I don't know much about how he acts, but he seems like the kind of person who seeks to solve his own problems when he can."

Naruto blinked. "That's...really insightful, actually - you're probably on to something. Haha, you'd make a good jinchuuriki yoursel-ahm, actually, forget I said that. Any ideas so far?"

Hinata placed her free hand on her chin, thinking deeply on the matter. "This is...just a, well...kind of crazy, out-there idea, but maybe...I can speak to him?"

Naruto screeched to a halt, his eyes widening with bewildered awe. "Uh...that's...I...dunno how I'd feel about that, to be a hundred percent. I mean, I'm sure you'd do great and all but...it's just, he's not exactly the nicest guy to strangers and-"

"Naruto-kun, I'm sure Kurama is fine. In fact, um...why not trade places with him at dinner? You two can do that, can't you?"

"Wah?! But I'm hungry! Me! Why does the guy living rent free in my head get to eat and I don't?!"

"Naruto-kun, it was just a suggestion! Besides...well, I don't know how the whole thing works, but...don't you two share the same body? Or...no wait, that's split personality disorder. How would-"

"AHEM!" The couple's heads bolted in the direction of the dinner table, Hinata's younger sister politely coughing into her hand. After a moment of awkward silence, she stood up, and picked her plate up off the table, bowing to the both of them. "I can tell this might be an awkward meal for you both if I'm around. Excuse me..." Without another word, the young teen walked rather hastily out of the room, her anxiousness to get away from the two of them obvious in her steps.

Hinata turned scarlet. "N-now that I think about it, that conversation just now WAS rather..."

"Eheh...strange? I'm just glad everyone knows about Kurama, else she'd probably think I've gone bonkers. Anyway..." The boy rested his hands on Hinata's shoulders, making her look up into his eyes. He smiled his trademark smile, and gave her a nod. "Alright. I'll do it, but just this once. And I'll be watching what happens, so if he gets rude or anything, I'm taking command."

Hinata saluted Naruto playfully. "Got it. Alright, I'll go wash up. You um...get him ready?"

"Eh...close enough."

Kurama stirred again in his sleep. Every time, as of late, and he just couldn't get it to stop. Why were these thoughts tormenting him? Why did he even care anymore? Things were different now, weren't they? Every face that had ever shown him fear, disgust, hate - they kept showing before his eyes, like an abyss of suffering, and-

"KURAMA, YO, WAKE UP!"

The massive beast of chakra nearly flipped over as he rose swiftly, eyes bloodshot. "Naruto, if you're not here to borrow chakra, I just might kill you this time." The fox looked down at the cheerful teen, who held his fist in the air and wore a wily smirk. "What...are you up to this time?"

Naruto ran his finger across the bridge of his nose. "Oh, well, I've got a little somethin' for ya. How would you like to get out and stretch your legs a bit?" Rather quickly, a terrifying image of Kurama assuming a chakra-based form of himself in the middle of the Hyuuga estate ran through Naruto's mind. Before his thoughts could turn to the furious vengeance Hiashi would throw upon him for destroying the mansion after it had just been rebuilt, he rephrased himself. "I um...mean, I want you to switch places with me for a bit. Got someone who wants to talk to you."

Kurama rolled onto his side, resting his head upon his hands. "Hrm...I am kind of bored at the moment. A change of scenery wouldn't...be so ba-what are you trying to pull here, huh?" His eyes narrowed, his tone becoming more harsh. "This better not be a prank. I know you're keen on those."

Naruto rolled his eyes to the side. "Right, because a prank on you using my body would totally be a prank on you alone. I wouldn't dupe myself, Kurama, so relax." Though it wasn't a bad idea, he had to admit.

Kurama scoffed once more, and slowly rose again. "Very well. But after this, you'd best allow me uninterrupted rest. I'm growing tired of you constantly pestering me."

A glint flew from Naruto's eyes, watching the bijuu move away from his resting spot and assuming a meditative position. 'If anyone'll be able to get Kurama to talk about what's bothering him, I'm sure Hinata will.'

A plain, old style room with eggshell colored walls and mats for floors met Kurama's eyes upon coming to, realizing he was seated before a rather large bowl of ramen. "What is this about? What's Naruto-"

"Uhm...hello Kurama-san!" The fox turned to the side, Hinata seated right next to him and waving, a nervous look plastered across her face. "Uh...nice weather we're having, isn't it?"

"Wait, you're Naruto's woman. Don't tell me you're the one who wanted to hold a chat when you can barely hold your chopsticks."

Hinata looked at her chopsticks, still in her hand hovering off the table, but askew and crossed from trembling. "O-oh! Um, sorry about that." Her hands danced around one another, trying to straighten out her hold on the chopsticks. After a few seconds of clicking and clacking against one another, she hastily placed them on the table, resting her hands in her lap and turning back to Kurama with a forced smile. "Ah...I'm not very hungry, on second thought."

"You're not very good at this." Kurama said bluntly, looking down at the food in front of him. Shrugging, he grabbed for the chopsticks, then realized he was no good at using those either, and dove face-first into the bowl of soupy ramen. Hinata said nothing about his...questionable eating habits.

In truth, she hadn't thought this part over. What do you say to an ancient animal of immeasurable power who was swapping bodies with your boyfriend anyway? Mentally facepalming at the fiasco that was 'nice weather we're having', she began to overclock her brain, thinking hard about what she wanted to say. She couldn't be blunt - not only was it against her nature, but the last thing she wanted to do was upset Kurama's pride by starting off with 'I hear you toss and turn at night, what seems to be the issue?'. And pride was something he had a lot of.

Then, it hit her. "Um...so out of the nine bijuu, you are one of the strongest, aren't you? That...is something really amazing, I think. To be the strongest out of so many siblings is something you must have had to work very hard for."

Kurama stopped scarfing down the ramen and looked at the girl, an eyebrow risen inquisitively and face stuffed full. "Work hard for?" He said after gulping down what must have been half of the bowl. "Not really. We were each born with a fraction of power from the same source. I just happened to get the largest portion. Speaking of portions..." He pointed at Hinata's bowl. "I'll just take that if you aren't planning on eating it."

Hinata scooted the bowl towards him and watched as he finished off his own faster than she'd ever seen even Naruto eat ramen. "Oh, is that correct? Um...it's still impressive." In her mind, she was screaming 'Naruto, a little help?', hoping that her boyfriend would have some means of aiding her. Realizing that there wasn't much he could do just spectating, she changed the subject. She'd gotten this far, and at least Kurama was actually talking.

"You really like ramen, huh?"

Kurama's eyes widened. "This is ramen? The rate at which the kid eats this stuff, I figured it would taste better than this."

"Oh, you prefer other foods then? Here, let me get you something different-" she reached suddenly for the bowl, but her hand was suddenly grabbed - rather tight - by Kurama.

"I wasn't done yet!" he snapped. He turned to the girl, and loosened his grip when he saw the look of panic on her face. He still wasn't used to how fragile humans were, and looked down at his - or rather, Naruto's hands, which he'd just accidently harmed her with. "I...just don't come between me and food. I'll finish the bowl up."

Hinata nodded, and briskly walked out of the room, stopping around the corner and catching her breath. She'd almost wanted to scream. Kurama obviously didn't know his own strength, but she knew he wasn't trying to harm her. Still, did HE know?

Peering back into the dining room, she watched as Kurama stared into what was left of the ramen, almost...sadly. 'This might be what Naruto-kun was talking about' she thought to herself. 'Is he being...remorseful?' She observed him for a moment, both daunted and intrigued by the realization that, though it was Naruto's body before her, it most definitely was not Naruto himself.

If she was honest with herself, she couldn't deny that she was still rather intimidated. Though she knew he was good, the kyuubi had a history of so much danger and damage. She was practically playing with fire at the moment, and some people would tell her to beware of burns. Yet with her own eyes, she could see how much he changed - or perhaps he was misunderstood to begin with, very much like Naruto himself. Regardless of how undecided she still was about this, she'd just promised Naruto to talk to Kurama and make him feel better.

Gathering her confidence, and a much needed deep breath of air, she waltzed back into the room, keeping her warm smile as genuine as she could make it. "K-Kurama-san? How would you like to...go out on a date?"

Inside of his own mind, Naruto's eyes twitched. 'Hinata, the heck?'

Kurama's eyes widened at the suggestion, quickly turning away and huffing. "You're...absolutely absurd. But I guess I have nothing better to do with my time right now..." Standing up, the bijuu wobbled to gain his balance. "But won't people realize I'm not exactly the 'hero' they usually see in this twerp when they see these?" He pointed to his eyes, something Hinata realized just then would be problematic. Kurama was right - his trademark red, slit eyes would definitely stand out if anyone were to notice. While most of the village recognized Kurama as a hero in the war, some in the village were still wary of the fox.

Holding her chin, Hinata's white turned to the ceiling. "Hrm...I'm...pretty sure we can think of something. Oh!" Lightly, she clapped her hands together. "I...think I have an idea. Please, wait right here."

Without even giving him a chance to object, the Hyūga girl bolted off into the halls, returning rather swiftly with something clutched in her hands. Catching her breath, she bowed respectfully, presenting the object - a pair of circular sunglasses - with both hands. "Please, use these. They're an old pair of Shino's that I was trying to fix after a mission, but he replaced them before I could finish."

Kurama looked at the tiny sunglasses with curiosity, picking them up gently so not to breath them. Fiddling around with the handles, he nervously tried to pry them from side to side, grunting with frustration when he realized this just wasn't working. "Nrg...how the hell do you...humans do this?" He flicked the glasses back to Hinata. "Here, work this thing for me."

The glasses fumbled around in the Hyuuga girls' hands, and she swiftly opened them, turning them around and raising them to Naruto's face. "H-here, allow me to put them on, Kurama-san."

It took every ounce of willpower in her body not to laugh at the result. For years, she'd never given Shino's choice in tiny lenses any thought, especially when he upgraded to goggles. But on Naruto's face, the tiny black circles barely covering view of his eyes, along with Kurama's toothy grin sprawled over his face had taken her by surprise. "Well?" He barked. "How do I look?"

Hinata turned away, hiding her face in her sleeves. "You look just fine! Just...just fine! No one will s-suspect a thing. Snerk..." Regaining control of herself, she grabbed Kurama's hand, and began to tow him towards the door, careful not to look back at him. Hanabi stood at the front, waiting for them as they emerged from the complex, wearing a deadpan expression at the odd couple's new disposition.

"Going out for the evening? Should I inform father when he returns?" she asked.

Hinata nodded, a bead of sweat running down her forehead. "Eheh...yes, if father arrives home earlier than expected, tell her Kura-erm, Naruto and I are going out for the night."

Hanabi shrugged and stared at Naruto's shades blankly, her lips curling up and nostrils closing. "Have fun, I guess."

"Wait, what is she so giddy abo-"

"N-nothing! Nothing at all! We should hurry, Kurama-san, or there won't be many places open!"

Though uncharacteristic of her, Hinata tugged Kurama away from the complex's gates as fast as she could, so he wouldn't hear Hanabi's outburst of laughter that followed in the next few moments. She had a feeling that, odd as this was, she'd be doing a lot of things tonight that were out of her comfort zone.

It was only a few months after the war, but Konoha had begun to look like its old self lately. The old-style homes and businesses, though replaced in large part by the wood-style makings of Yamato, had been painted and weathered, finally looking like part of the village as opposed to an obvious restoration. Signs hung again from the restaraunts and shops, inviting the eyes of all who walked by with colorful and creative displays.

The evening air carried with it the light fragrance of Spring, the faintest scents of blooming flowers and pollen carried upon the breeze. It wasn't a very strong one, but enough to make the festive lanterns hanging over the village streets sway, their vibrant lights adding even more liveliness to the evening crowds making their last rounds before the sun finally set. A river of people flowed in all directions, excitable children towing their parents along, couples holding hands - it was an ideal evening for a date, much to Hinata's disappointment that it couldn't be with Naruto.

Instead, she'd been walking the busy street with a gruff, almost hostile-seeming Kurama in tow. Not that anyone would have been able to tell him apart from Naruto - she anticipated everyone would give them a few looks, after all. It was why she was becoming a little nervous about whether or not Shino's old glasses would do the trick, and strangely enough, it seemed to be working. The most people were doing was smirking or smiling. She only hoped Kurama wouldn't catch on to the fact that they were actually laughing AT him, and that this wouldn't come back to bite Naruto in the behind.

"So um...what kind of activities do you enjoy?" she asked Kurama, looking around at the various signs, in the hopes of finding something creative to occupy the duo's time. "I mean, I realize it must be difficult for you to um...have preferences, but has anything ever caught your eye? Also, um... not to be rude, but...do you have to walk so menacingly?"

Kurama snarled briefly as she said this, eyes bolting side to side, fists clenched tightly as he strut with a slight hunch as if he was ready to pounce at any moment. "You sure this 'disguise' idea of yours is even working? Not one of these humans are freaking out, but it's certainly drawing a lot more attention than you told me it would."

Hinata continued to look around, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone at this point. These days, when she and Naruto walked down the streets, it was usually hand in hand. Doing so with Kurama would naturally feel awkward, even if it was just to divert attention a little. Still, steadily and slowly, she reached for his hand, grabbing it gently and tightening her grip slightly. The bijuu turned her way, looking at her curiously. She met him with a warm, genuine smile this time as she spoke. "Don't be so nervous, Kurama-san." she said softly. "People tend to look at others for various reasons. Sometimes, we just look weird or stand out to them, but that's no reason to think they're thinking the worst about you."

Kurama scoffed, turning his nose up at the girl. "I've been around long enough to make your grandparents look like infants. Longer than that, even. I don't need a lecture from another two-bit know it all twerp about humanity."

"You don't have a good opinion of us, do you?" She looked down at the ground, fighting the urge to twiddle her thumbs as she used to do when she was nervous. With what he said just now, she realized she may have stumbled upon just what she was looking for, and she wasn't about to let the chance to open him up a bit pass. "Um...humans, that is. You don't seem to like us very much, and...if I can be bold in saying this, you...kind of look down on us. It's just something I've ... noticed about you, just from what little I know and what Naruto has told me."

The bijuu drew a heavy sigh. "You're going to just pursue this one if I don't tell you, so I'll shut you up here. It's a complicated call, even for me." He shrugged, pushing the glasses further up on the bridge of his nose. "When you've lived as long as I have, you see the worst humanity has to offer. People have sought me and the other bijuu out as weapons of power. They never cared about us having identities of our own, names, nothing. Rikudou once told us that humanity had more to offer than that, but all I've ever seen? Fear, hate, loathing, and ignorance." His expression hardened the more he spoke, a moment of silence causing it to fall once more. His eyes met up with Hinata's, then he swiftly turned to the ground. "Even if I can call Naruto a...'friend'..." he struggled in saying that word alone. "...it will be some time before I begin to understand the lot of you humans. My answer? I don't like them very much, and they're too much trouble to understand most of the time."

Hinata looked upon the fox curiously. "What makes us so difficult to understand?"

"You ask fool questions when you know the answers, for one." Kurama shrugged, cracking a wily smirk. "And you imbeciles favor these confusing suffixes to address one another by. What is the point of that anything?"

Hinata gasped. "Wait, w-what do you mean?"

He pointed at her, the tiny sunglasses falling down on the bridge of his nose. "What you're doing, for example. Calling me 'Kurama-san', like I'm some figure of average respect. Because of my strength alone, you should be calling me Kurama-sama."

A cloud of gloom and disdain hung over Hinata's head. Not only was he conceited, but he also made terrible puns to boot. "I...think that's a bit much. Sorry."

"And the way you address the twerp?" He broke off the hand holding, doing a somewhat mocking twidling motion with his fingers, and making his deep, frightening voice go as high pitched as he could get it. "Naruto-kun! Hah, if you two really are familiar at this point as I know you are, why not just call him 'Naruto'?"

Hinata grasped her cheeks, turning away almost completely scarlet. "D-don't make fun of me, Kurama-san! I...I just...respect our boundaries at this point in our relationship! Wait, what do you mean 'as you know we are'?! Have...have you been peeking on us?!" She suddenly heard the footsteps surrounding them cease, as well as much of the idle chatter, and looked up slowly. She wanted to hide in a hole right about now, as soon as the realization set in that the crowd was staring at her for how loud she said that.

She creakily turned her body towards the woodworks of the nearest shop, twiddling her thumbs as that cloud of gloom began to grow, Kurama's cackles filling the air. "Another reason I don't get you humans - how hung up you get over these frivol relationship details. But at least you make good comedy."

Kurama's nose suddenly twitched, and he began to sniff about with intense fervor. "Wait...that smell. I know that smell! It's..."

"Eh? It's what?" She looked up again. "What do you smell?"

He folded his arms and tilted his head to the side. Had Hinata not still been in shock at the public embarrassment she'd just suffered, she'd probably have laughed at the irony - it being a habit Naruto held as well when he was thinking.

"Light aroma, tender, a bit of feather dander..." He licked his lips. "I smell chickens."

"Ch-chickens?! W-wait!"

He didn't listen to a word she said, and bolted off into the crowd. Pacing around in frustration, Hinata began to nibble her finger. She hadn't planned for this, not at all. Darting through the crowds, breathing 'excuse mes' and 'sorrys' as she shoved past the villagers after her bijuu possessed boyfriend, she came around the corner of a store to see Kurama, hands on his knees, staring down a tiny chick on a table.

"What are you d-"

"Shh!" Kurama snapped, not breaking eye contact from the tiny creature, which seemed to be glaring right back at the slit-eyed boy.

Confusion was probably the lightest way Hinata could describe the scene before her. Raising an arm in protest again, Kurama began to growl at the chick, the shop owner looking just as confused as she was. As if to retort the fox's humanoid growling, the chick began to peep angrily in return, until soon the two seemed like they were in a full blown argument.

Fighting back the urge to burst into laughter, she placed her hand on Kurama's shoulder to grab his attention, which was met with a sudden snarl and then awkward look to the side.

"Did he say something to upset you?" Hinata asked, trying as hard as she could to keep a straight face. The last thing she wanted to do was upset him as well. "It's just a little baby, I don't think he means any-"

Kurama pointed angrily at the chick. "He thinks he's a tough guy, looking at me the way he did. I think I'll make a meal out of the brat..."

"What? It's just a baby." Gently, she swooped her arm down and scooped the chick in her hand, holding it closer to Kurama's face. The fox nearly protested, but was overruled by the excitable peeping the chick emitted. "See? I think it likes you. Here, hold out your hand."

"What? Hell no, I-"

With her free hand, the Hyuuga girl flipped Kurama's wrist and pressed the tiny chick into the fox's palm. As soon as she released her hand from it, the bird began to strut around in his hand for a moment, then sat down and made himself comfortable with another audible series of peeps. "There we go. Looks like you've made a friend, Kurama-san."

Kurama's expression softened a bit, staring down at the tiny, feeble creature now making itself at home in his...well, Naruto's palm. Not trembling, not submitting out of fear - just content being right there, and without a care in the world. Slowly, he reached for the nesting fowl with his other hand, cautiously placing his fingers over the chicks' head and stroking it. He nearly jerked his hand back when the bird pushed against his touch, unprepared for such a receptive reaction.

Hinata couldn't help but smile warmly at the sight. He was like a child, petting a baby animal for the first time. It was almost adorable. She couldn't help but wonder if Naruto was watching from behind his own eyes, but even more, if this was exactly what the fox needed.

For a 'date', or so it was called by Naruto himself, the rest of the evening had been fairly calm. After the event with the chick, Kurama had been fairly reasonable, and followed the girl willingly from place to place, almost obediently. While it didn't seem like he was really enjoying himself, she was at least getting to know the being that lived inside her boyfriend's head. All she could gather was abysmal, yet better than nothing. If it helped her help him, it was worthwhile information never the less.

Trailing through the crowded evening streets, the lights being lit in the village saw the sea of people dying down, and the night came to full fruition as the last ray of sun began to fade in the distance. Thinking beforehand, Hinata suggested they watch the setting sun from the top of the Hokage mountain, just to soothe the beasts's nerves and get away from the coming night-life.

Standing at the railing built over the monument of the fourth, Hinata leaned outward, letting the calm Spring evening winds flow past her like she had alongside Naruto many evenings before. Kurama, on the other hand, leaned against the railing with his back turned, arms folded.

Looking out at the orange hue bathing the village below, Hinata pointed off into the distance at the Eastern side of town. "Look over there, Kurama-san. You can still see the manor. It's a really nice sight, isn't it?"

Kurama shrugged, not particularly interested. "I think I've seen enough of the village. When does this courtship ritual end?"

"C-courtship?! Kurama-san, I think you have the wrong idea!" She turned scarlet and looked away.

"What? Isn't that why you humans do these 'dates'?"

"I-if that's the case, why did you agree?"

"I-" Kurama turned his head away from her, his face a bit red himself. "Good point. Alright, fine then. But my question still stands. I'm enjoying this little chance to stretch my limbs, but there's no point to be actually being here with you, is there?"

The girl looked down. "I guess...well, I guess not. I only wanted to help you, though."

Kurama's eyes widened. "What are you-Wait, did Naruto put you up to this?"

She shook her head. "No, not at all. It was my idea in the first place, and I suppose it wasn't a great one. He did tell me though that you seemed a bit...off."

The beast wasn't sure whether to be insulted by Naruto's meddling, or just plain angry. Part of him wanted to vouch for 'grateful', but the idea was quickly buried beneath his gruffness. "It was none of his business, and none of yours. I may be 'friends' with him, but I don't need him butting into my territory."

For the first time that evening, the girl wore a stern frown, all reservations and nervouss pitch fading swiftly from her tone. "With...all due respect, Kurama-san, that's what a friend is. We don't just help one another in tough battles, but we fight for one another in everyday life as well."

Kurama scoffed. "I don't need humans get-"

"Don't look down on us for being worried, you...you sour-tempered fox!" Both her and Kurama stood silent for a moment in reaction to what had just escaped her mouth. But nodding affirmatively, she placed her hand on Kurama's shoulder, rubbing along it softly and trying to smile again. "I've seen that you're not this beast you seem to pride yourself as in just this short amount of time, Kurama. You came to our aid against Madara and the Juubi. You gave us support, and you helped Naruto every step of the way since. And I think...you have a desire to be liked by someone."

"That's absurd!"

"Heehee, your face says otherwise." She pointed at Kurama's blush, causing the fox to curse how easily humans showed their emotions. "You were very gentle and kind with that chick earlier, after you calmed down a bit. There's no reason to hide behind a wall of pride, especially when you want to be liked. And...you can trust me on this one. If you want to be liked, you have to change a lot. You have to fight against the person you were, set aside your negative self and make room for growth."

Kurama rose an eyebrow inquisitively. "What do you mean by that?"

Hinata placed her hand upon her chest, turning silently to the village once more. The night lights began to appear down below. Her eyes fell upon the center, moving outward and back up to the mountain again. "I'm sure you know, because I'm certain you were watching that time. It was when the village was attacked by Akatsuki."

Kurama gave no reply, but he nodded very slowly.

"Before that day, I wasn't the type to act on impulse like that. I was still struggling to be strong, and I couldn't fight for what was important to me, because I feared failure. That day, Kurama, I embraced a new me and forever left behind the girl I was before." Turning towards the kyuubi, she tilted her head towards the village, gesturing for him to come. "The old me wasn't a bad person, just like how you aren't a bad person now." She waited for Kurama to join at her side, leaning over the railing as well before she continued. "But the old me wasn't enough. I wanted something with all my heart, and that was to be accepted even as a failure, and to put my heart into everything I did."

Kurama grunted in retort, gazing down softly at the village. "You just wanted to let the kid know how you felt before either him or you were killed. Don't feed me that story."

Hinata shook her head. "Not exactly. Because to do that, I had to want to change in the first place, right? Do you understand what I mean now?"

The fox said nothing for several minutes, the two waiting patiently as silent evening fell upon them. Kurama's red slit eyes scanned the rebuilt village with intrigue all the while, memories of the night his mind was bound flashing then fading in the calm of the Springtime air. He felt something inside, but couldn't quite figure out what. A calm sensation, and one that began to fill his thoughts with only the events of this night.

As faded images of burning buildings and fleeing people were replaced by the laughter and bustling of busy villagers, and the sights of the village lights from high above, the fox couldn't help but smirk just a tiny bit. "Perhaps we should go back." he said, his tone lightening considerably. "It's...kind of cold, I don't know."

Had she not learned by now that the fox would never say anything directly, she'd have taken him seriously, and commented on how even the breeze tonight was warmer than it had been lately. Nodding, she grabbed Kurama's hand, the two setting off for home. Kurama gave one last glance at the village from high above, finding it strange that only sixteen years ago, he'd been destroying it. Now, he was a part of it. Perhaps, over time, people would come to accept him, and maybe even revere him. Just as they'd come to revere Naruto.

'Perhaps that wouldn't be so bad...'

The trip back hadn't been eventful, but it worked for the both of them. Little chatter went on, but a peaceful silence was better than an awkward silence. Even though she obviously preferred her time with Naruto, Hinata had to admit it was kind of nice having a quiet evening with a new friend. He wasn't easily excitable unless it came to food, but that was just fine. She wondered on the way back if Naruto had been watching the entire time, or if he was speaking to Kurama right now. Looking at how deep in thought he was, she didn't rule out the possibility.

"The lights are still on." Kurama said suddenly, breaking a long chain of silence. "Looks like that brat is still awake."

"Oh dear..." She looked at the light coming from the main hall of the Hyuuga manor. "Father hates when she stays up late. I guess it's a good thing he won't be back until morning then."

"Hmh. So she has a defiant side? Haha, crafty kid. Maybe her and I could get along too. If we ever do something like this again, let's bring her along."

"Eh?" She blinked at him. "You'd want to having another outing with me?"

Kurama shrugged. "I mean...not...anytime in the near future. But I wouldn't object to this again. It was..."

"Fun?"

"No."

"Enjoyable?"

"Grr...no, not that either."

"Um...enlightening?"

"We'll..." He sighed. "Fine, we'll go with that."

Hinata giggled. "And maybe you can make more friends. I really appreciate you coming along with me though. Naruto and I are both so grateful that you're opening up more to us."

They stopped at the gate to the estate, and stood still for a moment. Kurama closed his eyes and spoke. "Well, I should leave now. I got you home safely, so Naruto will likely want to take it from here."

"You're a true gentleman, walking a lady home." Hinata teased. "I hope you're feeling better now, Kurama. Really."

Kurama nodded. "I...well...nevermind, it isn't important." He didn't even have to say it, even thought it was on the tip of his tongue. Yet Hinata could see it in his eyes, perhaps because they were Naruto's eyes as well. 'Thank you'

With that, his eyes turned blue and the markings on his face returned to normal in a matter of seconds. Naruto blinked rapidly and began to yawn. "Wheeeew...you guys done already?"

"Huh? Wait, were you sleeping the entire time?" Hinata asked.

Naruto nodded in response. "Yeah. Figured it would be better if I trusted you with Kurama, else he'd have gotten all defensive and wouldn't lighten up. So what all happened? Eh...wait, what's this moving around in my shirt?" Naruto reached into his collar and shuffled around, grunting as he pulled out the tiny chick from before. "What the hell?"

Hinata chuckled. "Looks like Kurama had a stowaway. Or maybe decided to take his little friend home with him. Foxes do like to steal chickens, don't they?"

Naruto glared at the little bird. "Nrgh...Kurama's gonna get me in trouble one of these days. But he looked pretty happy as we were swapping out. Well, happy as he CAN look, I guess."

"Oh? Was he smiling?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Eh...more like he was trying to keep his usual frowning locked in place." The chick began to peck at Naruto's hand as he said this, causing the boy to flail, Hinata catching the bird as it flew through the air. "Dammit! Why couldn't he have brought home a kitten or something?"

"Haha, strangely enough, he liked Kurama, but he doesn't seem to like you Naruto."

Naruto looked at her strangely. "Wait, what? You didn't call me...um...something happen?"

Hinata shook her head. "No, just...Kurama brought up a good point, that's all." She grabbed a hold of the boy's hand, raising it to her chest and pressing against him, locking her lips to his in a bold and unexpected move. "As familiar as I am with you, I need to start acting more like it in every sense of the word." she said, breaking the kiss. "Unless you want me to call you 'Naruto-kun'."

Naruto smirked. "Heehee, I can go with whatever you want to call me. Maybe till the day we can call each other-"

"KYUUBI!"

Both of the teen's heads jolted to the side, an angry Hiashi standing at the doorstep with deadly eyes locked on Naruto, a combative stance held. "I'll be damned if my daughter is going to move from a hero of the Hidden Leaf to a beast! You have five seconds to step away from her, Kyuubi!" Hanabi stepped out from behind Hiashi, mouthing the word 'sorry' to the two of them.

Naruto pointed at himself. "Wha? H-hey, it's just me! Kurama isn't-"

"I'm not going to fall for your crafty tricks! I gave you your warning, now prepare yourself!"

Without another word, Naruto bolted into the night, the agitated Hiashi close behind, and a worried Hinata chasing the two of them down and trying to explain all the while, Kurama laughing himself into a peaceful sleep at the mischief.

The first peaceful sleep he'd had in a long while.